News

Washington, D.C.—A new bill has been proposed that would amend the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act to strengthen requirements for nutritional information on food labels. The bill, entitled the “Food Labeling Modernization Act of 2013,” was sponsored by Rep. Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ).

Baltimore, MD—At its annual business meeting held during Expo East, the Natural Products Association (NPA) announced that its recommendation to change its membership criteria was voted down. Failing by 11 votes, the change would have allowed for new retailer members that do not have a self-contained store or have less than 75% of their sales coming from natural products to qualify for membership.

The American Botanical Council (ABC) is celebrating its 25th year as a leading non-profit educational and research organization in the medicinal herb field. Its mission from the beginning has been rooted in education and helping the public, educators, health practitioners, researchers and the media develop informed opinions about herbal medicine while providing science-based data to back up their claims.

With the June 2013 expansion of Amazon.com, Inc.’s AmazonFresh program to the Los Angeles market, the resurgent business model of home grocery delivery now seems to be a force with which the food retail world must contend. After fits and starts of success for the idea earlier in the Internet era, many more consumers appear to be interested in having at least some groceries, including organic produce, delivered to their doorstep by Web-based services.

Columbia, MO—As certain types of synthetic nanoparticles have made their way into applications from water treatment to food packaging to pesticides over the past few years, a debate has ensued over the potential for contamination, and the health risks to humans in case it does occur. A recent study at the University of Missouri confirmed the presence of potentially toxic silver nanoparticles in pears and, in doing so, established a viable method for detecting such particles in food.

Washington, D.C.—Over 150 companies and organizations sent a letter to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack calling for better oversight of the experimental field trials used to test genetically engineered (GE) crops. The action was spurred by the high-profile discovery in May of unapproved GE wheat in an Oregon farmer’s field.

I once had a wart on my finger, and a good natural products retailer friend of mine suggested liquid selenium, which cleared it up within days. My business has warts, too. My desk can be messy, I am behind on my reading and there are many more opportunities to take advantage of than time or resources allow, to name just a few.